


PAWS: a love story

by cupofgenmaicha (orphan_account)



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: M/M, Meet-Cute, Showkyun playing with puppies, That's it, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, that's the entire story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-05-31 13:51:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19427266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/cupofgenmaicha
Summary: Between vet school classes and trying to get out of lifting weights at the gym, Changkyun volunteers at PAWS, a puppy adoption café.One day Hyunwoo walks in.





	PAWS: a love story

**Author's Note:**

> showkyun + puppies = i'm soffftttt
> 
> This is just a short, fluffy piece but I hope it brings a smile to your face!!

“That’s it, baby girl. You’re almost done,” Changkyun coos as he listens to the puppy’s heartbeat and strokes her soft brown fur. She was rescued off the street by a kind, elderly woman who found her cowering under a bush while she was walking her granddaughter to school.

Changkyun couldn’t even identify her breed at first because her fur was so matted. She was skinny and looked at him with sad, soulful eyes as she continuously licked her broken leg. He and the veterinarian cleaned her fur and set her leg, carefully nursing her back to health. She nosed at Changkyun’s hand throughout the ordeal, looking for affection and comfort, and he fell in love with her instantly.

Now, the puppy looks up at him with bright eyes and licks his hand, tail waggling as he finishes examining her ears and nose, almost like she’s saying _thank you._ Changkyun feels his heart clench and he pets her again. “Okay. You’re ready to be adopted!” he announces.

As an animal lover with a big heart, studying to be a veterinarian is dangerous. He wants to take the puppy home—he wants to take them all home. He fights the temptation to stow her away in his backpack and instead, holds the wiggly puppy in his arms, walking her next door to PAWS.

The bell chimes as he walks through the door and into the bright, sunlit café. The space is large and clean, with a wooden food and drink bar lining the left wall and tables set up all around the room. There’s a cozy area overflowing with dog toys and beds in the corner, near a bay window. With yellow and baby blue painted walls, the café feels happy even on a dreary grey day.

As soon as Changkyun walks through the door, there are dogs of all shapes, colors and sizes flocking to him, licking his hand for a treat or for a scratch behind the ear. Even with dogs all over the place, the café always smells crisp and clean. A little like citrus and glazed sugar. Welcoming.

“Who’s this?” Kihyun asks softly as he walks out from behind the counter. The puppy wriggles in Changkyun’s arms, clearly excited to meet a new person. Kihyun wipes the flour dusting his hands off onto his apron and takes her into his arms. Kihyun is the café’s main baker and has acted as Changkyun’s older brother since he moved to Seoul from Gwangju six years ago.

“Hyungwon named her Cupcake,” Changkyun answers, already anticipating his hyung’s reaction.

“Cupcake?” Kihyun pulls a disgusted face. “She needs a sophisticated name—one like Areum.”

Changkyun rolls his eyes. Not this again. “You literally want to name every dog Areum. We already have like five Areums.” He points to a Maltese, three Yorkshires and a Jindo, all playing with toys in the cozy, hangout corner. He calls out, “Areum,” and all five of them whip their heads around, tongues poking out of their mouths and tails wagging.

“See?” he needles with a raised eyebrow, but Kihyun staunchly ignores him, choosing to coo at the puppy cradled in his arms, not-so-subtly slipping her a treat.

“Not too many,” Changkyun gently reminds him, but he knows Kihyun can’t help it. His heart is too soft.

Kihyun hums and presses more kisses to the puppy’s head and whispers into her ear. “You are now named Areum. Run free my little beauty.” He sets the puppy down and watches as she sniffs around, checking out the new space.

He still has a soft smile on his lips as he walks behind the counter to wash his hands at the sink. “Are you staying to volunteer, Changkyun-ah? Today isn’t your usual day.”

Changkyun nods. “Hyungwon-hyung can’t come in today. He needs to stay at the clinic.” Hyungwon is the primary veterinarian at the clinic adjoining PAWS.

Kihyun hums. “Well, Hoseok-hyung will be happy to see you. He’s been wanting to take you to the gym with him. Today is arms day.”

_Work out at the gym? Hell no._ Changkyun shudders. With a heart of gold, he knows that Hoseok means well, but the last time they worked out together, Changkyun couldn’t lift his arms for a solid week.

Hoseok and Kihyun co-own the café. When the two friends graduated with business degrees three years ago, they were determined to open a café that not only served drinks and bakery items, but also served the community in a deeper, more meaningful way. Thus was born PAWS, an adoption café, where visitors can meet adoptable puppies and older dogs while they sip their drinks.

Changkyun, a veterinary medicine student, jumped at the opportunity to examine, train and care for the animals at both PAWS and Hyungwon’s veterinary clinic.

“Why doesn’t he force Jooheon to work out with him?” Changkyun grumbles. Kihyun shoots him a look and they both burst into laughter, knowing that there’s no way Hoseok would force Jooheon to do anything; he’s entirely too soft and whipped for his boyfriend.

“His workout buddy should be here any minute. He stops by every Thursday to play with the puppies before they go to the gym,” Kihyun says as he adds more pastries to the display.

“What should I do first?” Changkyun asks as he looks around, scanning the floor for puppy accidents and other fun surprises.

Kihyun seems to think for a moment. “It hasn’t been too busy today. You can clear some of the tables and keep the pups company.”

Changkyun gets to work clearing the tables. Just as he’s wiping down the last one, a bell chimes over the door.

“Hyunwoo-hyung!” Kihyun calls out in friendly greeting. Mildly curious, Changkyun looks over his shoulder and—oh.

Oh no.

It’s like time slows down as the man— _Hyunwoo_ —walks through the door, bringing a wave of sweltering, summer heat in with him. Hyunwoo is tall with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He’s wearing a grey business suit, but the top button of his white dress shirt is popped open to accommodate the weather, showing more of his golden, sun-kissed skin.

Changkyun stands frozen, watching as Hyunwoo’s face softens with a smile, pretty eyes crinkling in the corners as he greets Kihyun. _Fuck, he’s gorgeous_ , Changkyun thinks as panic begins to well inside him. He searches around the room, frantic for a hiding place and he launches himself behind one of the couches, hitting his hip bone on the hard cement floor.

He bites back a curse and rubs his hip, knowing it’s going to bruise.

“Hey, Ki,” Hyunwoo greets, his voice low and rich. Pleasant. Changkyun peeks out from behind the couch to watch the exchange.

“Want your usual?”

“Please.”

“I’ll have one of our volunteers bring it to you.” After Hyunwoo leaves the room, heading toward the small changing area and locker room in the back of the café, Kihyun whips his head around and stares directly into Changkyun’s eyes.

Changkyun gasps and tries his best to hide again.

“You can come out now,” Kihyun sing-songs.

_Act natural, Changkyun._ “I wasn’t hiding,” he says as he pops up and casually begins to wipe the couch with the cloth still clutched in his hand. “I was cleaning behind the couch. Filthy, by the way.”

“Right. Of course you weren’t hiding,” Kihyun says with sarcasm dripping from each word. He places an iced americano on a tray and pushes the tray toward Changkyun. “Why don’t you take this to him. You know, since you weren’t hiding.”

Changkyun opens his mouth to whine, but shuts it as soon as he sees the teasing sparkle in Kihyun’s eyes. “Where is he?” he asks sullenly as he washes his hands.

“The blue room.”

The blue room is tucked away from the rest of the café. Cozy and quiet, and painted in soothing tones of blue and heather grey, the room is where the pups hang out when they are feeling shy or skittish. Although the room has a bookshelf overflowing with books and a comfortable couch, most guests prefer the open, ebullient sunniness of the main room.

Changkyun pokes his head into the quiet room and sees Hyunwoo sitting on a cushion, leaning his back against the couch. He must have changed because now he’s wearing workout shorts and a plain white t-shirt. There’s a small white puppy cuddled on his lap and he’s petting her with long, gentle strokes from the top of her head over her neck and back.

When he sees the black spots on her face and ear, Changkyun realizes with a start that it’s Shy Girl. Even when Changkyun nursed her back to health and trained her, she was a timid little pup, always with her tail between her legs. Changkyun had been worried that she would never be truly adoptable, so seeing her now—her little body sprawled out in Hyunwoo’s lap, eyes closed and tail wagging lazily—makes his heart soar.

“I brought your coffee,” Changkyun says quietly as he sets down the tray on a low table.

“Thank you.” Hyunwoo continues to pet the puppy, who barely stirred in his lap at the sound of Changkyun’s voice.

“I’ve never seen Shy Girl so comfortable before,” Changkyun murmurs as he sits down on the floor, reaching his hand out to gently pet the puppy’s soft fur.

Hyunwoo hums. “I remember the first time I met her. She was hiding underneath a cushion. It took a while, but I think we’re good friends now.”

“Have you ever thought about adopting her?”

“Sure,” Hyunwoo says, but then his lips tug down into a frown. “I would love to, but I’m not allowed to have a dog at my apartment. I come here every Thursday to make up for it and I always visit her first.”

It’s quiet for a while as they both continue to pet the puppy. Changkyun isn’t in much of a hurry to leave.

“I’m a volunteer vet, but I’m usually working at the clinic on Thursdays while Hyungwon-hyung volunteers here.”

“You know Wonnie?” Hyunwoo looks up, voice too loud for the room.

Changkyun bites back a smile and nods.

“Ah, you must be Im Changkyun!” he says with a bright smile. “Hyungwon is my roommate. He talks about you all the time.”

Oh shit. Hyunwoo must be the hot roommate that Hyungwon has been trying to set him up with. Changkyun feels a nervous giggle bubble into his throat and he swallows it. “That’s me,” he says, thankful that his voice remains deep and smooth, belying how nervous he feels.

Another puppy struts into the room and Changkyun quietly beckons to him, giving him a small treat as he lies in his lap. The puppy immediately falls asleep. Hyunwoo leans in close to stroke the puppy in Changkyun’s lap and he catches the faint tones of sandalwood from Hyunwoo’s cologne and something earthy, like the summer rain that has begun to patter against the window. His stomach whooshes at their proximity and he swallows thickly, fighting the urge to lean in closer, to feel the heat radiating off the man’s skin.

“So you must be the bank manager that Hyungwon-hyung always talks about.” At Hyunwoo’s affirming nod, Changkyun lightly teases, “He says that you’re old and boring, but you feed him well.”

Hyunwoo rolls his eyes affectionately and Changkyun can’t help but giggle, shoulders shaking as he leans into Hyunwoo. “Well, I’m glad he speaks so highly of me.”

“Hey—” a new voice interrupts them and they both whip their heads up to see Kihyun standing in the doorway, a lazy smile on his lips, “—just checking on you. Heard a lot of giggling back here.”

Changkyun meets Kihyun’s seemingly innocent gaze—immediately recognizing the mirth glittering in his dark eyes—and he scowls.

“Hoseok-hyung will be ready to go to the gym soon,” Kihyun informs Hyunwoo. “He’s finishing up some accounting stuff right now.”

Hyunwoo nods and they’re left alone again.

“How do you survive working out with Hoseok-hyung? He’s a machine,” Changkyun says with a grimace.

Hyunwoo laughs and shakes his head. “Oh, it’s not so bad. I'm in much better shape now than I used to be and while he foam rolls, I get to swim, which is always a bonus.”

Changkyun can’t help but let his eyes run along Hyunwoo’s slim, muscled body, his gaze eventually landing on wide, sturdy shoulders. He looks strong and grounded, but also comfortable and warm. No wonder all the puppies seem to love him.

“So, you’re a swimmer. That explains it,” Changkyun mutters and then clamps his mouth shut. Why the hell did he say that!

“Explains what?” Hyunwoo asks like he’s honestly confused which only makes Changkyun squirm more.

He shakes his head vigorously and Hyunwoo pokes him in the side, making him jump and squeak. “I’m ticklish!” he yelps as he bats away Hyunwoo’s hand.

Hyunwoo laughs again quietly and looks at him, his eyes crinkling in the corners. Changkyun feels warm and like he can’t quite breathe properly. The puppy in his lap stirs and rubs his wet nose against Changkyun’s hand, reminding him that he’s supposed to be petting him.

Changkyun smiles down at the puppy and scratches behind his ears.

“Cute,” Hyunwoo murmurs.

“What?”

“Nothing.” He shakes his head, still smiling.

Changkyun juts out his lip into a pout until Hyunwoo rolls his eyes fondly and finally caves. “I guess I didn’t notice it before, but you have a dimple,” he says, slightly stumbling over his words as if he’s nervous. “Right here,” he murmurs as he leans closer.

It all happens in slow motion. Hyunwoo reaches out a finger to poke him in the cheek. Changkyun panics—internally flails—and all of a sudden, his finger is between Changkyun’s teeth.

Oh.

Oh, fuck.

Changkyun is biting his finger, like he does when he’s joking around with Jooheon and Hyungwon. Even Kihyun is nibbled from time to time.

But this is Hyunwoo—quiet, beautiful, surprisingly funny Hyunwoo, who is now staring at his finger still wedged between Changkyun’s teeth.

Neither of them moves. Changkyun can scarcely breathe. His skin feels splotchy and hot with embarrassment. _This is it,_ he thinks as he curses his gay panic, _Hyunwoo is going to back away awkwardly and they’ll never see each other again. Great._

Then Hyunwoo says, very calmly, like this is all completely normal, “Drop it.”

And Changkyun releases his finger. His eyes nervously flick from the little indents in Hyunwoo’s skin to his eyes—and he expects to see something akin to disgust. But there’s only warmth. Affection. And a flicker of interest.

“Good boy,” Hyunwoo teases as he musses up Changkyun’s hair.

“You’re making this so much worse,” he groans as he whacks Hyunwoo on the arm. The movement disturbs the puppies in their laps and they both fall onto their backs as the puppies climb all over them, seeking attention.

Hyunwoo pretends to nibble Shy Girl’s paws and laughs as she licks his face. “What was that anyway? Puppy play?”

“Nah. I just do that sometimes for fun,” Changkyun answers with a small shake of his head. “But I do know how to speak ‘dog.’ I'm almost fluent.”

“Yeah?” Hyunwoo asks seriously but his eyes are sparkling. “Let me hear.”

Changkyun begins woofing—and they both burst into laughter as dogs in the front room and the puppies nosing at his hand begin to _woof_ back at him.

Changkyun pets the wiggly puppy that is now sitting squarely in the middle of his chest and tries to pinpoint the swirl of emotion he is feeling in his stomach—the flutter of butterflies under his skin. He feels safe—like he can be himself and Hyunwoo will accept him, as is. Without question. But there is also a kind of crackle in the air between them—something that he would very much like to explore in the future.

“You're unlike anyone I've ever met,” Hyunwoo murmurs, eyes still on the puppy he's petting. “I like that you're unique, different, and—I’d really like to get to know you better, Changkyun-ah.”

Changkyun smiles softly as he peeks over the bundle of fur on top of him and meets Hyunwoo’s dark, earnest eyes. “I’d like that too, hyung.”

The quiet moment is interrupted by Hoseok who walks into the room, hands on hips, glaring at Hyunwoo. “Have you seriously been in here the whole time? I’ve been texting you for the last half-hour!”

“Uh, yeah,” Hyunwoo replies sheepishly as he rubs his neck, eyes briefly meeting Changkyun’s before they slide away. “I’ve been busy with the puppies.”

“Right,” Hoseok says as he looks at Changkyun and smirks. “Puppies.” He claps his hands. “Well, it’s arm night. Let’s go.”

Hyunwoo watches his friend as he storms out. “He gets a little touchy if I’m late to our gym dates.”

Changkyun stands and wipes fur from his pants, feeling his heart swell as he watches Hyunwoo kiss Shy Girl between her ears, and hears him quietly promise that he’ll be back to see her soon.

After Hyunwoo grabs his gym bag from the locker, they walk to the front of the café and Kihyun is noticeably absent. Quite suspicious. “Hoseok is probably already half-way to the gym by now,” Hyunwoo says wryly, rubbing his neck again, ears tinged red. “Uh, when do you get off tonight?”

“At 8, but I have to stay for closing duties, so closer to 9.”

Hyunwoo nods his head. Licks his lips. “I’m always hungry after swimming…and there’s a samgyetang restaurant around the corner,” he sucks in a breath. “Do you want to get dinner with me?”

“Sure,” Changkyun agrees, chuckling quietly, feeling floaty and light. Happy. “I’ll see you then.”

As soon as the door closes, there’s an explosion of noise as Kihyun runs out of the kitchen to ambush him with questions and to tease him, riling up the dogs who are now yipping, wagging their tails, wanting in on the excitement.

“I knew it! I knew you would be great together!”

Changkyun stares at his brilliant, scheming friend, realization slowly dawning. “Did you set this up with Hyungwon?”

“Of course I did!” Kihyun exclaims, clapping his hands together and smiling so widely that his cheek dimples form. “Now, tell me everything!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments, kudos, etc really make my day! :)


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